The Gadget Blog » nokia

Last Day to Download Free App from Ovi

Rico Mossesgeld — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:51:29 +0000

For owners of any Symbian S60 5th edition phone (Nokia’s 5530, 5800, or N97): today’s the last day Playlist DJ can be downloaded from store.ovi.com for free!

The app promises the ability to build playlists based on the “moods” you set on the app’s sliders. Obviously, you can download through a computer or on your phone itself.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Nokia World Seen Through Twitter

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:48:22 +0000

Tom’s Guide was apparently on the scene at Nokia World (or at least willing to listen through the Nokia executives’ thick Finnish accents). Here’s what they reported:

Courtesy NokiaUsers.net

Nokia World now on http://events.nokia.com/nok…
about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck
Nokia CEO now talking about N900, Nokia’s ups and downs & “solid plans… create most widespread platform to deliver services for mobile”
about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck
Nokia CEO: 27 operators, 8 countries, 5 different languages provide full support for Ovi Store
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
N97 and Nokia 5800 sales: 10 million in last 10 months, N97 selling at faster rate
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
Nokia CEO: “All services announced at Nokia World will be available to try out either immediately or within the next 48 hours”
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
Nokia to come out with “Nokia Money”
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
1.1 billion owners of Nokia devices globally
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
Nokia EVP to critics of company smartphones: we’re still king of the smartphone space worldwide
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
2 Million Nokia N97s Shipped
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
N97 new 2.0 software to be released in October
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
Presentation of the N97 Mini, Social Web orientated
about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
Nokia Booklet 3G will cost 570 Euros ($810)
about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck
Correction: Booklet 3G will cost 575 euros ($820!)about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck
N97 Mini: $640 for October 2009 release
36 minutes ago from TweetDeck

Regarding the Nokia N97 Mini and its new Facebook lifecasting functionality, is it worth paying $60 less for an N97 with a vague social networking feature and no d-Pad? The Booklet 3G’s expensive price sounds more like a deal, actually.
Source

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Is the Nokia Booklet 3G Worth 575 Euros?

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:40:33 +0000

So the cat’s finally out of the bag: the Nokia Booklet 3G will cost 575 euros (around $820), as announced in Nokia World.

Courtesy Nokia

That’s a bit pricey in my opinion. Sure, the 12-hour battery life and two-centimeter thickness of the gadget justify this price somewhat, but not entirely. For a 10.1″ netbook, nothing probably beats Nokia’s offerings in terms of specs, integrated extras (like HDMI), and battery capacity, but there are surely equally portable offerings that also include a built-in USIM slot.

What do you think? Personally, I’d rather spend my hard-earned money on something slightly more bulky, but significantly more powerful. Especially since Nokia already makes software that lets their phones sync with your average Windows 7 laptop. The Booklet 3G might appeal to metal finish addicts who want something small to lug around though.

More Nokia Booklet 3G specs emerge at Nokia World 09

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Nokia Booklet 3G: 4 Reasons to be Skeptical

Rico Mossesgeld — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:49:29 +0000

Over at Gadzooki, I share five reasons why I’m excited about the Nokia Booklet 3G, the Windows 7 netbook announced yesterday by the dominant mobile company. Now that my initial excitement has worn off, here are four thoughts from my inner late-blooming skeptic:

Courtesy Nokia

Specs: Too Good to be True?

12 hours of battery life is awesome! But Nokia has learned to play the battery overestimation game? Will actual battery life be more like 3 hours, as the Booklet’s various connectivity features are generously used?

N-Gage Part Deux?

N-Gage was Nokia’s attempt to enter the portable gaming market through hardware. Will the Booklet 3G become another failed attempt by Nokia to diversify its dominantly phone-centric portfolio?

Appeal Outside the Phone Market?

Nokia is king when it comes to cell phones, but is the brand strong enough to attract netbook buyers? It might be an uphill battle for the Finns, as entering the low-margin netbook market is a very risky proposition.

Bloatware?

We already know Nokia needs to improve its desktop software. If it was slow on a decently-powerful desktop, how would it perform on a less powerful netbook? Worse, does Nokia consider the Booklet as a license to pimp Ovi to users with in-your-face software?

What do you think of the Nokia Booklet 3G? Feel free to hit the comments below.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Nokia E52 is a Pricier E51 Refresh

Rico Mossesgeld — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:30:33 +0000

Take the E51 (a great candybar phone with a comprehensive feature set) add a better battery, a higher-resolution camera, a standard 3.5mm audio jack, faster over-the-air connectivity, and microUSB support. What do you get? The Nokia E52 of course!

Courtesy Nokia

The successor refresh comes at a cost though. While the older E51 hovered around the $200-range, the E52 pushes the price point to around $350 (both prices for unlocked, contract-free phones). The E52 is available in “Metal Grey Aluminum” or “Golden Aluminum”, versus the E51’s metal black.

	Nokia E52	Nokia E51
Services	Full Ovi services suite
Dimensions	116 x 49 x 9.9mm	115 x 47 x 9mm
Standby time	Up to 28 days	Up to 13 days
Talk time	Up to 8 hours	Up to 4.4 hours
Networks	HSDPA/HSUPA	WCDMA
A-GPS	Yes	No
USB charging	Yes	No
Display	320×240	240×320
Camera	3.2 Mpix	2.0 Mpix
Headset jack	Standard 3.5 mm	Proprietary

Unless E51 users want faster cellular connectivity, it seems doubtful if upgrading E52 is worth the additional $150. The newer phone might attract new buyers, but current E51 users will probably remain content with what they have. In any case, buyers should also consider the Nokia E63. It features practically the same functionality as the E51, while boasting an easier-to-use QWERTY keyboard. The E51 should also see a price drop as Nokia retailers seek to clear old stocks.

Buy the Nokia E63 (Red, $189.99)

Buy Nokia E51 (Black, $229.99)

Buy Nokia E52 (Lowest price found: $335)

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Nokia 6600i Slide Promises Affordable Stylishness

Rico Mossesgeld — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:52:50 +0000

At below $300 unlocked, the Nokia 6600i Slide seems to be the manufacturer’s to offer stylishness for the budget-conscious consumer (or at least in the case of the US, buyers who are willing to spend a bit more on unlocked phones, but not too much).

Courtesy Nokia

The quad-band sliding phone features a washed metal finish, 3G capability, a sliding form factor, and a 5 megapixel camera. It comes in black and silver. The use of S40 limits the phone’s potential somewhat, but probably won’t drain the 1000mAh battery too quickly. Bundled extras like a 1GB microSD card, and the Nokia stereo headset WH-203 for the built-in radio may make attractive for consumers on the market for a good-looking call and text platform. The inclusion of a high-resolution camera with double LED flash probably doesn’t hurt too.

Courtesy Nokia

Full specs are available on Nokia’s website; Google provides some useful buy links.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Why Nokia Will Never be Big in the US

Rico Mossesgeld — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:19:43 +0000

Unless US telcos change, Nokia will never be big in the US. Maybe even in the future

From my experience with Nokia, the Finnish manufacturer has always believed in providing phones that are open and interoperable. It does not work with telcos to intentionally limit its products’ functionality for the sake of more money (as in the case of Verizon’s Bluetooth-free Motorola v710). Nor has it taken the exclusivity route, never agreeing to make its high-profile models available only to subscribers of certain networks.

Wired.Com rightfully presents this stance as an obstacle to Nokia’s establishment on the US market. For some reason however, Wired quotes an analyst determined to make the telcos’ own stance sensible:

Carriers view Nokia as a company that puts its own brand ahead of its telecom partners, says Bubley. “Nokia puts a lot more stock in its own branding and marketing worldwide than other handset makers,” he says. “In North America their unwillingness to play a secondary role to carriers has hurt them.”

Granted, good business is always a win-win proposition. All parties involved must profit in some way, and Nokia should consider working with operators to offer subsidized handsets. It’s just that Nokia considers the customer a partner with equal footing, designing phones around their needs. US carriers, on the other hand, simply see subscribers as profit generators.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Palringo Brings Makes Realtime IM Mobile

Rico Mossesgeld — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:30:37 +0000

Palringo deserves attention because it integrates numerous IM services into one mobile app. Supported IMs include MSN, AIM, YM, iChat, and Jabber/GTalk (yes, including the one built into Gmail). And unlike many mobile IM apps, Palringo does things real-time. Replies immediately show up, with no manual refreshing required.

It’s possible to switch between conversations, meaning users can chat with multiple contacts simultaneously. On the S60 version (tested on an N97), sending and receiving around 50 IMs via HSDPA added up to about 450kb/73kb of download/upload bandwidth usage. Needless to say the speed of the app depends on network coverage and phone connectivity. Connections are possible through mobile broadband and WiFi.

Palringo also supports the sending of photo and audio messages, straight from the phone’s camera or audio recorder. What’s weird though is the app can’t seem to pull content already available on the gadget itself, limiting multimedia messages to the recently captured.

The IM integration app also needs work with how it manages contacts. While it categorizes them conveniently under offline and online sections, there’s no way to narrow down the list (by search text, IM service, etc.). Locating a contact to chat sometimes requires significant scrolling.

Despite these issues however, the real-time communication allowed by Palringo makes it stand out as a mobile instant messaging application. Visit the official site for more information.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

What the Nokia N97 Lacks

Rico Mossesgeld — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:28:52 +0000

As Technograph asserts

Aside from a better case, Nokia should’ve included the N97 into its Comes With Music program (currently unavailable for this phone, much less in the Philippines). The phone isn’t as hip or youth-oriented as the 5800, but purchasing a flagship Nokia model always represents brand loyalty and a significant investment for the buyer. Why not reward that kind of devotion?

All things said, each Nokia N97 comes with a lot of useful items. At the very least, the USB data cable, hands-free kit, charger adapter, and the phone’s built-in 32GB of memory means you don’t have to buy accessories to maximize the N97. The bundle is good, but pretty much standard for a high-end phone.

As far as I know, the N97 isn’t under Nokia’s Comes With Music program, which allows new phone owners to purchase as much music as they want within a year from the Nokia music store. Nokia can easily change this, and even make it available retroactively to early adopters. That will definitely provide more value for the N97.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

The Nokia E75: Designed for Idiots

Rico Mossesgeld — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:40:49 +0000

Take the Nokia E75 out of the box, and you’ll see a transparent sticker plastered over the display. Apparently, Nokia received too many complaints, from people who couldn’t figure out that on some phones, the red End Call key doubles as the power button! The side-effect of this noobishness? You have to take off the display cover to start using the phone, wasting the sticker’s screen protector potential.

Based on the attended product briefing, Nokia’s pushing the E75 as email-centric, highlighting the QWERTY keyboard that slides out from underneath the otherwise candybar-looking smartphone, as well as the email-friendly messaging app. Functionality-wise compared to the E71 however, the E75 is pretty much the same, with a different form factor and a newer version firmware to set it apart (and I was told that the same firmware is being prepared for the E71).

The complete data sheet is here, courtesy of Philippine affiliate Technograph. More pictures and a review to follow soon.

Post from: The Gadget Blog